TEHRAN: In an alarming escalation of rhetoric and military warnings, Iran’s Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, has urged Israeli civilians to immediately evacuate Tel Aviv and Haifa, warning of an imminent and unprecedented retaliatory operation against Israel.
In a televised video message, General Mousavi declared that Iran’s previous responses were merely a warning shot, and that a decisive and large-scale operation was still to come. “What has been done so far was just a preliminary warning,” he said. “The real and final response is approaching, and it will be executed soon.”
Blaming Israel for violating international laws, General Mousavi accused the Israeli military of using attacks on Iranian defence facilities as a pretext to deliberately target civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. He condemned these acts as war crimes and vowed that the blood of Iranian martyrs would not go unavenged.
“The Iranian nation, under the leadership of its armed forces, will take full revenge for the blood of its martyrs. Israel will face consequences for its crimes,” he stated firmly.
Reaffirming Iran’s long-standing position of resistance, General Mousavi asserted that Iran has never bowed to aggression, nor will it do so in the face of Israeli hostilities. He emphasised that while the Iranian response so far was conducted in self-defence, a far stronger action is being prepared.
General Mousavi also highlighted the role of various Iranian defence forces — including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, Air Defence, Army, Police, and Ministry of Defence — stating that these entities had already inflicted significant damage on Israeli interests. However, he reiterated that these actions were only a forewarning.
In his most direct message to the Israeli public, he urged all civilians in Haifa and Tel Aviv to evacuate immediately for their safety. “We warn the residents of occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Tel Aviv and Haifa, to leave these areas at once,” he said, adding that Iran is prepared for a response that will leave Israel facing “regrettable consequences.”
He concluded by underscoring Iran’s historic and unwavering policy of standing against oppression. “The great Iranian nation has never surrendered to tyranny, and it never will. The crimes of the Israeli regime will not go unanswered,” General Mousavi warned.
This comes amid heightened tensions in the region following a series of tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and Israel, with both sides accusing each other of targeting key military and civilian figures. The situation remains volatile, with fears of a broader regional conflict continuing to mount.
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